Door operating device



Oct. 15. 1940. J A. M- FARLANE ET AL 3 3 DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Filed April 28, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

Oct. 15. 1 4 J. A. M FARLANE ET AL 2 1 DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Filed April 28, 19:59 2 Sheets-Shee& 2

INVENTORS JA /76 Ffl/?ZANE BY MM /Vc FO/?ZA/VE ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE over, Calif.

Application April 28, 1939, Serial No. 270532 This invention relates to doors and more particularly to Operating means for overhead swinging doors for garages and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a 6 simple and eflicient door Operating mechanism of the type referred to. A further object is the provision of a door Operating mechanism operable from a remote point either manually or by direct contact with the wheels or some other parts of 10 an automobile passing into or out of the garage to which the door is attached. Another object is to provide a door mechanism maintaining the door locked in both open and closed position until operated in the manner prescribed by the invention, in order that it may not be accidentally forced open by wind pressure. It is a still further object of the invention to provide key operated looking means for the door in closed position designed to prevent even the normal oper- 20 ation prescribed by the invention.

Other objects and the advantageous features of the invention will become apparent upon perusal of the following description and examination of the accompanying drawings. in which a 25 preferred form of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional end elevation of the door framing of a garage on which the devices of the invention are shown mounted, and the garage 3 door is shown held in open position by these devces;

Fig. 2 is a substantially corresponding sectional end elevation of the closed door showing the Operating devices positioned on the far side of 35 the door frame; and

Fig. 3 is an inside elevation of the garage wall showing the door closed.

The door framing I is, in Figs. 1 and 2, shown in section, and it carries on each side of the door 40 opening a bracket 2, on the end of which a roller 3 is fixed to rotate. The door 4 is provided with angle braces which, in Figs. l and 2, are shown resting against and on these rollers, respectively. A lever 5 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 1 45 of the door frame, there being one lever on each side of the door opening. One end of each lever 's pivotally secured to the angle braces 5 at a point 8, nearer the bottom end of the door, and a heavy Operating spring 9 extends from the 50 opposite end of the levers to rock frames n, ll

of the framing.

If a hand grip |2 is fastened to the outer surface of the door, as indicated in Flg. 1, it is possible to swing the door into open position. as in- 65 dicated in Fig. 1. If, in addition, the springs 9 are powerful enough to overbalance the weight of the door, it is merely required to swing the door sumciently to move the springs away from the nearly dead-center position they occupy when the door is closed, whereupon the springs complete the opening operation. This marks the simplest form of the invention, and it is important to note that the door in this open position, is substantially balanced horizontally on the rollers 3. The function of the springs, in 10 this relaxed position, is merely to maintain the door elevated, and it may again be closed by gripping its bottom edge and gently swinging it downward until closed, causing the springs to return to their near dead-center position. It is here to be noted that the parts preferably should be arranged to bring the springs entirely into dead-center position, and that the position shown is chosen merely for the sake of facilitating reading of the drawings.

As above stated, it is an object of the invention to provide means for Operating the door from a remote point. To this end, an oscillatory member 20 is shown seated in the driveway a desired distance from the garage, and this member is connected to the rock frame o in such manner that the frame, which is shown pivotally hung at I3, is swung downward and rearward when the wheels of a car approaching the garage swing the member 20 in the direction of the arrow. The tension of the springs 9 is thereby increased and the direction of the pull changed sufllciently to pull the door into the open position of Fig. 1.

In order that the operation of the door may be properly balanced, it is of course necessary sinultaneously to swing the rock frame H, and this may be accomplished by journaling a rock frame M above the door opening and extending links !5 from the ends of this frame to the rock frames o and ll. When the car again moves out of the garage, it is seen that the wheels will swing the member 20 in the opposite direction, in turn to swing the frames lfl, ll upward and thereby to decrease the tension of the springs 9. The door will thereupon by its own weight slowly swing downward into closed position. The springs gradually become stretched during this descension to check the movement, causing the door to come to a stop gently.

The manual operation of the door may remain as above outlined. It is, however, preferred to provide an Operating handle 30 at one side of the doorway. This handle forms part of a rock frame 3! which, through the medium of a link 32, is shown operatively connected with the rock frame 66 ll. As shown connected, a downward movement of this handle swings the frames I l and I. downward and increases the tension of the springs sumciently to raise the door. Reverse movement of the handle similarly serves to start the door downward. A hasp 33 is shown placed adjacent this handle, and a padlock M is hung in this hasp and around the arm II to lock the door in closed position, substantially as indicated in Fig. 2. Or other looking means may be substituted.

The spring tension required to raise the door and to maintain it in elevated position is considerable and manua'lly to raise the door may, in some cases, become quite arduous. Equalizing means is for this reason introduced, and such means is herein shown to consist oi springs 3! extending from the outer ends oi' the rock !rame M to fixed positions on the i'raming. The tension of these springs, which are much lighter than the springs 9, is greatest while the door is in closed position, but because the springs 9 at this time are near or at dead-center position, this tension is insumcient to swing the rock-frames lil, Il to raise the door. In normal operation, however, it is seen that these springs, which continuously exert downward pressure on the frames ill, Il, materially lighten the load oi' manually raising the door. It is also seen that they assist the springs 9 in maintaining the door in elevated position.

While the devices of the invention as hereinbefore described will operate satisi'actorily and give good service, it is preierred to introduce in the mechanism means i'or looking the door positively in both positions. This may be accomplished by placing stops ll, li in the path oi' movement of a. cam 42. and the latter is 'lsi ly Secured to' the lever 6. .These stops should be mounted for vertical sliding movement 'on the door frame, and they must be moved out of the way in order to permit the cam 42 to pass; These stops form part of sliding brackets u. M, and the latter are made with projecting lips through which a rod 45 freely extends. The ends of this rod are shown threaded and stop members 46, l'l are seated on these threads within the two lips. A link 40 connects the rod with the frame II.

From this.itisseenthattherod4lisdrawn downward when the !rame III is swung downward to open the door, thereby withdrawing the stop ll from the cam 42. Also that the stop 40 is pushed upward, out ot the way o! the cam, when the frame n is swung upward to efl'ect the closing movement of the door. It is advisable to place springs 49 on the rod, outside the lips, in order to make certain that the stops return'to looking position and yieldingly to maintain the stops in this position.

The wheel contacting member !ll may be positively connected with the frame ll, but it is preferred to provide yielding connectiom in order that the car wheels may pass over the member. when the door is padlocked, without injury to the Operating mechanism. The member !I E, to this end, made with an extension Il, seated in a circular slot of a rocker 22. A spring 23 yieldingly maintains the member 20 in central. upright position. The wheel oi' the car encounters merely the resistance of the spring 23 when it first strikes the members Il, and it does not pick up the load of actuating the door operating mechanism until the extension !I reaches the end of the rocker slot, at which point the member hasswungsociosetothegroundsu'tacethatthe The connections !rom the rocker to the i'rame llincludeabellcrankzmaiinkiromthispartto the i'rame, and a connection between the bellcrank and the rocker. This connection is shown to comprise two parts, 26, 21, lengthwise slidable upon each other, and compression springs 28 seated between the ends of these parts and against the side of the rocker. The purpose of this yielding connection is to ease the strain on the Operating mechanism when the car wheel quickly over the member z, and also to permit the connection to yield when the second wheel over the member and the door mechanism already has been actuated by the first wheel.

We claim:

1. In combination with a door opening. aligned brackets on each side of said opening. a door, levers plvoted on said brackets and having one end joumaled on said door for swinging it from vertical closed position to elevated horizontal position and back, means locking the door in both open and closed positions, Operating springs attached to the opposite ends of said levers, and means for releasing said looking means and increasing the tension of said springs to overbalance the weight ot the door. thereby to raise it into elevated position.

2. In combination with a door opening, align brackets on each side oi said opening, a door, levers pivoted on said brackets and having one end journaled on said door for swinging it from vertical closed position to horizontal open position and back, means outside the door opening operatively connected with the opposite ends of said levers and operable by a passing vehicle to swing the levers to open and close the door, stops maintaining the door locked in both positions. and means associated with said lever Operating means forreleasingeachst^pasapreliminaryto swinging the door.

3. In combination with a wall having a door opening, brackets on the wall on each side oi' the opening, a door, a lever plvoted on each of said brackets and having one end iournaled on the door, a counterbaancing spring extending from the opposite end of each lever, means for increasing the tension ot said springs to overbalance the weight of the door and thereby to elevate the door into horizontal position, a roller fixed to rotateateachsideoithedoonandraisonthe door riding on said rollers in raising the door and supporting the weight oi the door when fully elevated. v

4. In combination with a wall having a door opening, brackets on the wall on each side o! said opening. a door; a leverpivoted on each of said brackets and having one end joumaled on the door. a counterbalancing spring extending from the oppodte end of each lever, an oscillatory contact member outside the door, and means operatively connecting said member with the said springs for in or decreasing the tension otsaidspringsinresponsetoosdllationso'said member in one direction or the other.

5. In combination with a door opening, brackets on each side oi' said opening. a door, a lever plvoted on each bracket and havingone end journaled on said door. a counterbalancing spring extending from the opposite end of each lever, an oscillatory member outside the door, and resilient means operatively connecting said member with thei'reeendsoisaidspringsforincreasingor decreasing the tension of the springs in response to oscillations of said member in one direction or the other.

6. In combination with a door opening. brackets on each side of said opening, a door, a lever pivoted on each bracket and having one end journaled on said door, a counterbalancing spring extending from the opposite end of each lever, an oscillatory member outside the door, and means operatively connecting said member with the tree ends of said springs for increasing or decreasing the tension of the springs in response to oscillations of said member in one direction or the other, and manual means for swinging the door 6 independently of said oscillatory member.

JOHN A. MCFARLANE. WILLIAM W. MCFARLANE. 

